I noticed that the quotation seemed to come from one of David's books so I dropped him an email. Here's his reply:
June 14, 2014
Dear Liza,
I got that one and a few others from Father Stanley Bezuska who had several slides full of these in his talks. I pasted them below. Now you need to know that Fr. Bezuska had a wild sense of humor with which he made great points (such as these on the resistance to technologies). For example, there is no Rural American Teacher journal that I can find. This does not diminish for one second the validity of his observations, however. While his sources may be flawed, one can well believe that some of these comments are quite real! Stanley died a few years ago, so I can's ask him for his sources. On another point, he was an amazing educator and mathematician.
At a teacher's conference in 1703 it was reported that students could no longer prepare bark to calculate problems. They depended instead on expensive slates. There was great concern by the teachers of the time over what students would do when the slate was dropped and broken.
In 1815, it was reported at a principal's meeting that students depended too much on paper. They no longer knew how to write on a slate without getting dust all over themselves. What would happen when they ran out of paper?
The National Association of Teachers reported in 1907 that students depended too much on ink and no longer knew how to use a knife to sharpen a pencil.
According to the Rural American Teacher in 1928, students depended too much on store-bought ink. They did not now how to make their own. What would happen when they ran out? They would not be able to write until their next trip to the settlement.
In 1950, it was observed that ballpoint pens would be the ruin of education. Students were using these devices and then just throwing them away. The values of thrift and frugality were being discarded. Businesses and banks would never allow such expensive luxuries, according to the educators of the time.
Hugs,
David D. Thornburg Co-author: The Invent to Learn Guide to 3D Printing in the Classroom: Recipes for Success (available on Amazon - Print book: http://amzn.to/1pyeaqkKindle version: http://amzn.to/1jKZzA0).
David is alive, well and still very productive. Visit his web pages at
The Thornburg Center
Also check out David's blog, thornburgthoughts
Here he is on YouTube
David Thornburg on the Evolving Classroom (Big Thinkers Series)
Recently (June 2014) the following 'tweet' was circulating:
"What will they do when they run out of paper?" -Principal, 1815 #**edtech** #**blendedlearning** pic.twitter.com/qLDu
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I noticed that the quotation seemed to come from one of David's books so I dropped him an email. Here's his reply:
June 14, 2014
Dear Liza,
I got that one and a few others from Father Stanley Bezuska who had several slides full of these in his talks. I pasted them below. Now you need to know that Fr. Bezuska had a wild sense of humor with which he made great points (such as these on the resistance to technologies). For example, there is no Rural American Teacher journal that I can find. This does not diminish for one second the validity of his observations, however. While his sources may be flawed, one can well believe that some of these comments are quite real! Stanley died a few years ago, so I can's ask him for his sources. On another point, he was an amazing educator and mathematician.
Hugs,
David D. Thornburg Co-author: The Invent to Learn Guide to 3D Printing in the Classroom: Recipes for Success (available on Amazon - Print book: http://amzn.to/1pyeaqk Kindle version: http://amzn.to/1jKZzA0).